Box-type wrench having springclosed head segments



April 8, 1952 M. B. DAY 2,591,788

BOX-TYPE WRENCH HAVING SPRING-CLOSED HEAD SEGMENTS Filed Jan. 8, 1949 5 3 ,II ,10 I88 :2 u 14 I4 1%.. I' 7 l 1 v I5 17 23 I! I, I r

INVENTOR MERTON B..DAY y ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 8, 1952 OFFICE,

BOX-TYPE WRENCH HAVING SPRING- CLOSED HEAD SEGMENTS Merton B. Day, Warren, Mass.

Application January 8, 1949, Serial No. 69,960

2 Claims.

, This invention relates to wrenches and has particular reference to a novel construction of wrench commonly known as the box end type and method of making the same.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide a novel wrench of the above nature and method of making the same having its head portions formed in two sections, with one of said sections pivoted to the body of the wrench for movement to a position in offset relation with the other section whereby the wrench may be located in position of use in normally inaccessible places and the two sections of the head then being moved into alignment and automatically held in said relation during use.

, Another object is to provide an arrangement of the above nature which is extremely simple and durable in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and which will rigidly retainits size during use.

Another object is to provide automatically functioning locking means for moving and retaining the head sections in alignment with each other. when said device is in position of use.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying'drawings and it will be apparent that many changes may be made in the details of construction, arrangement of parts and method of manufacture without departing from the spirit of the invention as expressed in the accompanying claims. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction, arrangement of parts and method of manufacture shown and described as the preferred form only has been given by way of illustration.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the device embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the device shown in Fig. 1; and

I Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the device, diagrammatically illustrating how it may be located in position of use.

Referring more particularly to the drawings wherein like characters of reference designate like parts throughout the several views the device, embodying the invention comprises a main body portion having opposed recessed sides 2 and 3 each terminating in an integral semi-circular head section 4 and 5 respectively.

The head sections are preferably of a width greater than the thickness of the intermediate main body portion I and each have an adjacent shouldered portion 6 and 1 formed thereon. v

Each of the recessed sides is shaped to receive an arm portion 8 and 9 respectively. Each arm is shaped to lie in the respective recess and each is pivoted by a pin member I0 or H to the main body portion to permit the arms to be raised or lowered with respect to the longitudinal axis of said main body portion.

Each arm carries an integrally related head section l2 and I3 which is adapted to comate with the respective head sections 4 and 5 to form what is commonly called a box end type wrench. Each head section has a plurality of spaced notches- [4 formed in the inner surface thereof adapted to engage the hex shaped head of a nut member l5 such as shown in Fig. 3.

A shouldered portion l6 and I1 is formed on each of the head sections I2 and I3 intermediate said head sections and the respective arm portions.- 7

Each pivot pin l0 and II is provided with a spacing washer l8 and IQ for supporting the head sections in proper spaced relation I with each other.. To further aid in retaining the proper spacing, each of the arm portions 8 and 9 is provided with a raised portion 20 of a height substantially equal to the thickness of the washers l8 and l9. s v

The main body portion I and the arm portions 8 and 9, when in longitudinally extended relation with each other are so shaped as to permit collar members 2! and 22 to slide longitudinally thereof. The collars 2| and 22 are positioned on the main body I prior to pivotally connecting the arms thereto and are normally resiliently urged in an upward direction by a coil spring 23 carried by the main body portion intermediate said collars. The collars are so dimensioned as to have a relatively tight fit but free sliding movement on the assembled. arms and main body portion and when forced outwardly by the coil spring 23 are adapted toen: gage the shouldered portions 6, l6 and 1,1! respectively and firmly hold the head sections in aligned relation with each other and against spreading during the use of the Wrench.

By reference to Fig. 3, whereinthe function of the wrench is diagrammatically illustrated, the wrench is held with the head, opposed to the one to be used, located in the palm of the hand. The collar, for example 2|, is grasped between the forefinger 24 and thumb 25 and is drawn rearwardly against the resilient action of the coil spring 28 an amount sufficient to permit the arm 8 to be swung downwardly or upwardly as illustrated. This allows the head section 4 to be fitted, for example, around the pipe 26 on which the nut l5 to be tightened or loosened is located. By slightly tilting the wrench and releasing the collar 2|, the coil spring 23 will come into play to force the collar in an outward direction. This causes the arm 8 to be automatically moved on its pivot to aligned relation with the main body portion and full outward movement of the collar automatically aligns the head sections and holds them firmly in proper relation with each other. The wrench may then be used in the conventional manner. It is particularly pointed out that each head is prefabricated to the fixed size desired and is held to said size by the collar and backing spring23. The heads are formed to different sizes according to the various standard sizes of nuts with which they are to be used.

The reason for pivotally connecting the arms to move in an upward or downward direction is to enable the wrench to be readily placed on a pipe bar or other means in instances where there is a plurality of adjacent pipes or other associated means running in the same direction and which would render the wrench inoperative if the arm portions, for example, were pivoted to swing only in a sidewise direction thereby-requiring much more space than is required with the present arrangement and which in many instances is not available.

The wrench is extremely simple and inexpensive ini-ts construction and can be easily manipulated "with one hand.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that simple, efiicient and economical means and method of fabrication have been provided for accomplishing all of the objects and advantages of the invention.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A wrench comprising a long and slender main body portion having a recess in one side surface thereof and an enlarged semi-circular head section carried by the outer end thereof,

said main body portion and recessed portion being of a controlled cross-sectional dimension and shape and having a relatively smooth uninterrupted outer surface thereon, an arm having an enlarged semi-circular head section adjacent its outer end to comate with the semicircular head of the main body portion, said arm being pivotally connected adjacent its end opposite its semi-circular head to said main body portion with the axis of the pivot being in the direction of the plane of the semi-circular head and at such location that when the arm-is extended itwill lie within the recessed portion with its semi-circular head section comating with the semi-circular head section of the main body portion, said arm having a relatively smooth uninterrupted outer surface lying substantially in flush relation with the adjacent outer surface of the main body'portion-andof such cross-sectional dimension and shape that when in extended position it will provide for sliding a collar member longitudinally thereof, a. collar on said main body portion in relatively intimate sliding contact therewith, said main body portion having an enlarged portion on the side thereof opposite its head section and spaced rearwardly of the inner end of the arm, a coil spring on said main body portion having one end engaging a contact surface on the collar and its opposite end engaging the enlarged member and being adapted to normally urge the collar into engagement with inner side surfaces of the comating semi-circular head sections for locking said sections in said relation, said collar being retractable, through compression of the coil spring to a position rearwardly of the pivot and the inner end of the arm to such extent as to permit the arm to be freely swung in a sidewise direction to position the head sections in offset relation and when said compression on the spring is released said collar, responding to the function of the resilient means. being adapted to automatically align the arm with the body portion and rigidly retain the head sections in comating relation.

2. A wrench comprising a main long and slender body portion having longitudinally disposed recesses on the opposed sides thereof with the bases of said recesses being substantially in a single plane, each recess extending from adjacent the center to adjacent the respective ends of said body portion, said recessed portions each having an enlarged semi-circular head section integrally related with the ends thereof and oppositely disposed with respect to each other, an arm shaped to lie in each of said recesses, each arm having an outer surface flush with the adjacent outer surface of the central portion of the main body portion and each being pivotally connected with said body portion adjacent the central portion thereof, said arms each having an enlarged semi-circular head section comating with the respective head sections of the main body portion, a collar surrounding each recessed portion and the arm therein and movable longitudinally thereof and a coil spring overlying the recessed portions and the arms therein intermediate the respective collars and engaging and normally urging said collars outwardly and into engagement with inner side surfaces of the respective comating head sections to normally hold said head sections in said comating relation, each collar being selectively retractable against the resilient action of the coil spring to a point rearwardly of the-inner end of its respectivearm to permit free sidewise movement of said arm about its pivot, the opposed collar, during said retraction, functioning as a backing support for the opposed end of the spring.

MERTON B. DAY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the his of this patent:

Dingley Oct. 1-1, 1949 

